COMPUTATIONAL CHEMIST

Job Description / Key Responsibilities:
Responsible for applying modern computational chemistry, computer-assisted molecular modeling (CAMM), and cheminformatics techniques to the discovery and design of compounds that have potential utility as therapeutic agents. Collaborates with scientists whose expertise includes medicinal chemistry, organic synthesis, combinatorial chemistry, lead finding and high-throughput screening, protein NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, molecular biology, and protein biochemistry -- and thus a working understanding of these fields is required. Interacts as a full team member with therapeutic area-based drug discovery project teams to solve problems involving target discovery and validation, drug discovery, and drug design and optimization. Monitors and evaluates computational technologies, and maintains contacts with the scientific community and academic institutions, to keep abreast of scientific developments in this field. A key responsibility will be to support, evaluate, and/or develop software tools that are used in these activities.

Minimum Requirements:
Ph.D. or equivalent experience in a physical or biophysical science (e.g.: chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, physics, mathematics) with emphasis on computational chemistry or molecular modeling. Applications expertise in CAMM using some of the following techniques: interactive molecular graphics, molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics, quantum chemistry (molecular orbital methods), multivariate statistics, quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR), pharmacophore-based molecular searching and database design, ligand docking, homology modeling, de novo protein structure prediction, protein structural analysis, and software design. Hands-on familiarity with commercial software tools involved in these techniques a plus. Knowledge of modern graphics workstations and servers required; knowledge of NT and UNIX (IRIX and Linux), and programming skills are a plus. The position involves extensive collaboration with scientists having broad disciplinary expertise, thus a basic understanding of these fields is required. In addition, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to communicate and influence effectively, both orally and via the written word, are essential. Candidate must be able to function well in an interdisciplinary, multi-national, multi-site environment.